


Stars

by usopping



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Carinam Week, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 11:16:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11599509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usopping/pseuds/usopping
Summary: Carina takes Nami on a nighttime adventure.





	Stars

Carina leaned against an oak tree by the side of the road, just out of the ring of light cast by the nearest streetlight. She watched the weathered white clapboard house on the corner, eyeing the middle window on the second floor. It was just past midnight on a humid night in the middle of August, the only sounds the chirping of crickets and Carina’s own breathing.

She hadn’t been there long when the window she was watching slid soundlessly open, and a teenage girl climbed through it onto the roof of the front porch. Little more than a silhouette, she slid nimbly down from the roof onto the wooden porch railing and jumped into the dry grass below. After casting a glance over her shoulder at the silent house, she hurried across the lawn and down the street towards Carina.

That girl was Nami, and Carina was in love with her.

She arrived where Carina stood, and they hugged in greeting. The streetlight set Nami’s orange hair aflame, and it shone almost as brightly as the mischievous sparkle that never quite left her eyes. It had been that sparkle that first drew Carina to her when they’d met on the bench outside the mall security guards’ office when they were thirteen. They had been practically inseparable since then – and had never gotten caught by the rent-a-cops again. Three years had passed by now, and nighttime wandering had become one of their favourite pass-times.

Carina took Nami by the hand and the two raced down the street, keeping off the sidewalk so the grass muffled their footsteps. They didn’t slow until they had rounded the corner and made it halfway down the block. Giggling and breathing a little hard, they slid closer together, Nami’s arm wrapping around Carina’s waist, Carina’s arm slipping around Nami’s shoulders. Being so close made the night seem even warmer, but they didn’t mind.

Usually they headed downtown, melted into the city nightlife – it was their element. Once, they had even managed to flirt their way into a club, chatted up some hopeless guys for drinks, and made off with a couple of wallets each. This time, however, Carina pulled Nami off the sidewalk and onto a gravel path that led into the forest. When Nami looked askance at her, Carina said, “There’s something I wanna show you.”

Nami cast a skeptic glance into the darkness of the forest, and Carina pulled a flashlight out of her pocket.

“You’ll like it, I promise,” she said.

“Okay, but if a single bug so much as touches me, I’m burning this place down,” Nami replied wryly.

Carina laughed. “That’s fair.”

And so, they followed the winding path by the thin, blue-ish beam cast by the flashlight, leaving behind the warm colours of the residential area. The crickets were louder here, and accompanied by the chatter of other night critters Carina didn’t particularly care to think about. She was about as excited to be in the dark forest as Nami. It was much more treacherous at night than when she had come there earlier to scout, and the flashlight was doing a poor job of lighting their way. Nevertheless, they pressed on, and soon Carina spotted the footpath that would take them to their destination. Nami made a high-pitched noise in the back of her throat, but didn’t protest as Carina led them off the trail. They could no longer walk arm-in-arm, but Nami still clutched Carina’s hand tightly and stayed close. The ground quickly rose into a steep slant, and the path became more dangerous still. Winding through trees and rocks, dense shrubbery, mossy mounds of earth, the path took them steadily upward. It was slower going than Carina would have liked – if they wanted to be home before anyone noticed they were gone, they’d have to start back almost as soon as they got there. But they’d come this far. The humid night seemed to press against them, and soon both girls were breathing hard, their t-shirts sticking to their backs and their palms sweating against each other.

“This better be amazing, Carina,” Nami said and cursed under her breath as her foot snagged on a wayward root and she stumbled a little.

“We’re almost there,” Carina said in reply. The flashlight’s beam had just hit the rocky ledge.

The last bit of the path was so steep it was almost vertical, and they had to let go of one another to scramble up. Carina bounced to her feet first and waited excitedly for Nami to recover – she was bent over double, taking deep breaths. When she looked up, it was with annoyance, her mouth open to make some angry comment, but whatever that comment was, Carina never heard it. Nami was speechless.

The island, the ocean around it, and the infinite night sky stretched out all around them. The cluster of light that was downtown seemed tiny, and tinier still were the dots of light that were houses scattered throughout the fields and forests of the land. The ocean held the island like a blanket of the darkest navy, glimmering softly, a weak reflection of what was above. The sky was deep blue swirled with the barest hints of black and purple, and not a cloud could be seen, giving them an unobstructed view of millions and millions of stars shining so bright they didn’t need the flashlight anymore.

“This is incredible,” Nami said quietly when she found her voice again.

The girls moved closer to cliff’s edge and lay down in the grass, arms twining around each other once more. When Carina tilted her head just right, the land and trees disappeared from view. All she could see was the brilliant night sky and Nami.

“I’d steal all of them for you if I could,” she blurted out. “The stars.”

Nami gave her a look, and Carina went red. But when Nami followed up her giggle with a kiss, the embarrassment fell away.

“Let’s stay here until morning,” Nami said. “Watch the sunset.”

“Won’t Bellemère kill you?”

Nami shrugged and smiled at her. “Worth it.”

The stars in her eyes shone brighter than anything in the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Done for Carinam Week on tumblr.


End file.
